Steel Media, a leading tech mobile publisher based out of the UK (PocketGamer, iPhone Alliance and Quality Index to name a few), has just released the first ever issue of Swipe, an interactive magazine especially designed for the iPad. The app was built using HTML5 and its content showcases the best that the App Store has to offer. In Issue #1, Swipe gets an exclusive first look at Rovio’s Angry Birds follow up Amazing Alex, along with reviews from sites like Slide to Play, 148Apps, TouchGen (and TMA), as well as an interview with gaming legend David Braben (Lost Winds) and much more. Swipe is available now as a free download (243MB) and well worth the space on your iPad, especially if you dig iOS games. Press release and intro video after the gap.

Apple officially unveiled iOS 6 earlier today at the WWDC, calling it “The world’s most advanced mobile operating system”. Hardcore Android users and Google may beg to differ, but one thing’s for certain: iOS 6 will come loaded with over 200 new features, including an all-new Maps app, improved Phone functionality, a smarter and more capable Siri, and much much more. The next gen OS is set to drop this fall and will be compatible with the iPhone 3GS/4/4S, iPod Touch 4th gen, and iPad 2/3. Here are some of iOS 6’s more notable features:

About a month ago, we’d posted a video of a prototype iPad keyboard that would allow the movement of the onscreen cursor left or right by simply dragging a finger in either direction. Such functionality would indeed make it much easier for the user when editing text on the iPad. Well for all you non-jailbreakers out there who want to try out gesture based editing on your iPads, developer iApp have recently released tyype HD, a simple enough app that let’s you do just that. Sliding your finger above the virtual keyboard, you can move the cursor left or right. To quickly select text, use two fingers, while three fingers move the cursor twice as fast. In addition, pinch gestures will scale the font size. tyype HD is available now on the App Store for the intro price of $0.99, and after several planned updates (multiple file support and Dropbox/iCloud sync), it’ll sell for $2.99. Check out the video demo of the app in action after the gap.

Looking for the latest app sales and deals for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad? Here’s our roundup today for the most recent freebies and price drops that are worth checking out. As always, they’re only good for a very limited time.

If you’ve been clamouring to converse with Siri on the iPad, perhaps that day will come sooner than you’d expected. According to 9to5mac’s trusted sources, Apple will indeed be integrating the digital assistant into iOS 6, where it’ll not longer be exclusive on just the iPhone 4S, but include support for the iPad as well. As seen from the mockup above, Siri on the iPad is said to not be a “full screen experience”, where the interface will slide up from below with a quick hold of the home button (perhaps similar to the notifications window that drops down from above on the iPad). The Siri window is said to have rounded corners, the same look and feel as that of the iPhone 4S and will also work from the lock screen.

While there are plenty of drumming apps for the iDevice, you’d be hard pressed to find an actual drum pad that’s designed especially for the iPhone and iPad. Not only will a physical accessory make the experience more fun (and realistic), but it’ll also save your screen from the constant whacking. Enter Dream Cheeky’s iDrum, a (rechargeable) bluetooth 7 piece drum kit that connects to your iDevice. With the free iDrum Sound System app, it’ll let you jam along with your favorite tunes and even learn how to drum with pre-programmed songs. You can also record and playback your jam sessions to see if all those hours practicing with makeshift drumsticks have finally paid off. The iDrum will ship on May 31, 2012 and can be pre-ordered now for $69.99. Check out the video of the iDrum in action after the break.

The iPad 2 may have received a price drop ($399 for WiFi model) with the release of the New iPad, but what you may not be aware of is that it now houses a smaller and more efficient A5 chip – 32nm as opposed to the 45nm to be exact (the 45nm chip is found in previous iPad 2s and even the current gen iPad). Known as iPad 2,4, Anandtech recently bought one through Best Buy and promptly put it through a series of tests. While the new A5 chip doesn’t appear to provide a boost in speed and power, it does give users a nice bump in battery life. In the web browsing test, the “new” iPad 2,4 lasted for 11.7 hours, whereas the iPad 2 clocked in at 10.1 hours (9.28 hrs for new iPad).

If you’ve ever tried editing text (repeatedly) on the iPad, it’s probably crossed your mind that there should be a more efficient method of moving the onscreen cursor and selecting the desired text. I know I have and it’s one of the primary reasons why I love using the Shift and arrow keys on the ZAGGfolio bluetooth keyboard. Well you can leave it to Youtube user danielchasehooper to provide a visual on how this could be implemented on iOS for the iPad. As shown in his prototype video, you drag one finger left/right to move the cursor (two fingers to move it faster), and hold shift while dragging to select the text. Perhaps Apple will provide similar functionality in iOS 6, but until WWDC next month (where Applecould very well announce the next iOS) we won’t know for certain if the virtual keyboard will receive any improvements and upgrades. But you can let Apple know that you wish to have this feature on the iPad. Here’s how:

Shadowgun (TMA Review), one of the best third person shooters on iOS, has just been updated to support the new iPad’s 2048×1536 resolution. Not only does it get a nice bump up in res count, but it also gets 4x MSAA Anti Aliasing without sacrificing on performance. As such, the visuals will look even more stunning on the latest iPad. Meanwhile for other iDevice owners, this splendid shooter has received some minor bug fixes to improve upon the overall experience. The update is free for those who’ve already purchased the game, otherwise, Shadowgun can now be had for only $2.99 (down from $4.99).

A new rumour has emerged today from China (surprise!) that claims Apple will be releasing an “iPad Mini” in the 3rd quarter of 2012 to compete against a host of soon-to-released Windows tablets. According to Kotaku:

Chinese net portal, NetEase, has a story on a rumored new mini Apple tablet. NetEase claimed that the device will be released around the third quarter of this year to “counter attack” the upcoming Windows tablets. The report further claims that the devices will cost anywhere from US$249 to $299 and that there will be an initial 6 million units ready for launch.

While this report does make mention of the iPad Mini’s possible cost ($249-$299) and initial units for launch (6 million), it doesn’t speculate on the size of the smaller iPad. Plenty of rumours in the past have pointed to a 7.85″ iPad, which would be slightly larger than the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet (both 7″). If true, a nearly 8″ iPad at under $300 would be a heck of a bargain.